Executive Summit 2023

Shilpi B. Biswas is a Growth Transformation & Commercial Excellence Leader and her roles include executive positions in Product development, P&L management, Innovation commercialization at General Electric, Unilever, Delphi, General Motors, American Chamber of Commerce, and SPX.  Her nearly 20+ years of business career has been focused on growing and diversifying companies and developing portfolios with innovation, shaping concepts into viable products/ services and launching them successfully in the global markets.  Transitioning and innovating corporate culture to match the dynamic market requirements and enhancing organization capabilities in a continuous growth mindset to deliver P&L results has been her core competency throughout her career.

Recently back from China where Shilpi was the COO at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, she currently is the founder of her venture in corporate health & continuous improvement vertical. Shilpi has lived, and worked in US, India, China, Japan, and Sub-Saharan Africa.  Shilpi is a guest lecturer at the business school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland and China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.  Shilpi is passionate about social justice and equity and is on the board of directors at the Animal Protection League (APL), and South Asians for Justice and Peace (SAJE).  Shilpi serves as a mentor at China Accelerator and Augment Ventures where her focus is to connect and calibrate start-ups with FT1000 companies. Shilpi is a believer “If you can See It, you can Be It!”  Shilpi currently resides between Mountain View, CA and Cleveland, OH with her husband, two high school children and their family pet, Bro-Bro.

William is Managing General Partner of Orbit Startups an early stage VC running the first and longest running startup program in Asia with over US$200m in assets under management. Orbit's focus is investing in startups using technology to have an impact on economic independence, digitizing traditional industry and sustainability including ecommerce, fintech, travel, media, health, education, and logistics across emerging and frontier markets including Southeast and South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Mr. Ronnie C. Chan is the Chair of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, both publicly listed in Hong Kong. Hang Lung expanded into mainland China in 1992, developing, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key tier one and tier two cities. In 1986, Mr. Chan co-founded Morningside, a diversified investment group engaged in private equity and venture capital investments in North America, Asia, and Europe. He founded and chairs the China Heritage Fund, and is a co-founding Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation in Beijing. Mr. Chan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chair Emeritus of the Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society. He serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, including: Peterson Institute for International Economics, World Economic Forum, East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Fellowships, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, University of Southern California, Indian School of Business, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Yale University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

Chow Chung-yan is Executive Editor of the South China Morning Post, overseeing news coverage of both the print and digital platforms. He also manages the China and US bureaus as well as operations in Europe and Africa. He directed the coverage of landmark events including Chinese top leadership changes over the past decade, the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 and other major foreign affairs stories. He led the digital transformation of the newsroom as well as revamps of the paper’s print products over the years. He served as China Editor and Chief News Editor before being promoted to his current position.

Dr. Li Deng is currently Chief AI officer of Vatic Investment.  Previously, He was the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of Citadel and its Partner. Prior to Citadel, he was Chief Scientist of AI, the founder of the Deep Learning Technology Center, and Partner Research Manager at Microsoft, Redmond (2000-2017). Prior to Microsoft, he was a tenured full professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He also held faculty or research positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR, Kyoto, Japan), and HK University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong). He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, and a Fellow of the ISCA. He was elected to be Fellows of the Academy of Engineering of Canada and of the Academy of Sciences (Washington State). He also received the 2019 IEEE SPS Industry Leader Award “For leadership in pioneering research and development on large-scale deep learning that disrupted worldwide speech recognition industry and for leadership in natural language processing and financial engineering.”

He was an elected member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Signal Processing Society, and was Editors-in-Chief of IEEE Signal Processing Magazine and of IEEE/ACM Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, for which he received the IEEE SPS Meritorious Service Award. In recognition of the pioneering work on disrupting speech recognition industry using large-scale deep learning, he received the 2015 IEEE SPS Technical Achievement Award for “Outstanding Contributions to Automatic Speech Recognition and to Deep Learning”. He also received dozens of best papers and patents awards. He is an author or co-author of six technical books on deep learning, speech processing, pattern recognition and machine learning.

The Early Years
A life-long Long Islander, Tom was raised in a middle-class, union household and saw the value of hard work and stretching every dollar in the example set by his parents.

In 1972, Tom won his first election and served as a trustee on the Mineola Board of Education, becoming the first 18-year-old in New York State to hold public office. He attended Hofstra University, earning a bachelor's degree in history and graduated magna cum laude in 1976. He worked in the telecommunications industry for 10 years and attended night classes to earn his master's degree from The New School University's Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions.

Public Service
In 1986, he ran for the New York State Assembly and was elected to represent the 16th District in northwestern Nassau County for the next 20 years. Tom was elected State Comptroller on February 7, 2007, by a bipartisan majority of the State Legislature. He was elected Comptroller by New York's voters in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Record of Accomplishments & Priorities

Fighting Fraud
Tom fights waste, fraud and abuse in government and pursues officials who abuse their public positions or steal money from taxpayers. This has resulted in hundreds of arrests and tens of millions in restitution.

Managing the State Pension Fund
Under his leadership and during turbulent fiscal markets, the State pension fund remains one of the best-managed public pension funds in the nation. 

He puts pension dollars to work in every corner of the State, investing billions in New York-based companies and achieving solid returns while growing New York's local economies.

Tom is taking bold steps to protect the State pension fund from the risks that climate change poses to investments, transitioning its portfolio to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and divesting from companies that are not prepared to prosper in the growing low-carbon economy.

He is increasing State pension fund investments with minority- and women-owned firms, which have reached an all-time high of $31 billion, and is pushing corporate America to improve their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Providing Oversight for Tax Dollars
Tom is known for fact-driven analysis of economic, policy and fiscal issues. When COVID-19 hit the State and NYC hard, he closely tracked job loss, economic recovery and pandemic relief programs. He warned of the dire consequences of the pandemic on the restaurant, retail, arts, culture, construction and tourism industries.

His audits have identified tens of billions in waste and cost savings for State agencies, public authorities and local governments, while offering recommendations for operational improvements. His audits on quality-of-life issues, the State's workforce, homelessness and more have raised public awareness of critical problems.

Tom has made oversight of school districts a priority of his tenure as State Comptroller. His auditors are closely reviewing school fiscal operations, looking at programs to protect children from harassment and discrimination, monitoring special education providers, and identifying best practices to help schools operate more effectively around the State.

Pushing for Financial Accountability
He is fighting for prudent State budget, debt and reserve reforms to help New York change how it does business and put it on better fiscal footing.

He monitors NYC's budget and has urged the city to build deeper rainy-day reserves and find more operational efficiencies to eliminate future budget gaps.

He closely tracks transportation spending and the need for critical repairs of roads and bridges, pointing out when designated State funding is diverted and the need to invest in fixing local infrastructure. His audits and reports on the MTA have highlighted major failures, recommended improvements, and monitored ridership and the fiscal health of the system during the pandemic.

Empowering New Yorkers
Tom believes in making government accountable to the people and has earned praise for his early warning system that identifies local governments and school districts in fiscal stress, his transparency initiative called Open Book New York and his online tool to track COVID-19 relief spending.

He is a strong advocate for disability inclusion in the workplace. He also manages a savings program to improve the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities, NY ABLE.

He administers the State's 529 College Savings Program to help New York families invest to pay for high education costs. 

Tom streamlined the claims process for individuals to recover lost money. He returns hundreds of millions in unclaimed funds to rightful owners each year, averaging $1.5 million a day.

Dorinda “Dinda” Elliott is Executive Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and the Harvard China Fund.

Prior to Harvard, Dinda spent 15 years in East Asia as a journalist with Newsweek and Asiaweek, before becoming Global Affairs Editor at Conde Nast Traveler. She was then appointed Editorial and Communications Director at the Paulson Institute, where she spearheaded the strategic promotion of the Institute’s China-facing initiatives. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President at the China Institute in New York, the oldest bicultural, non-profit organization in the U.S. to focus exclusively on China, where she directed strategy and programing.

Mr. George Geh is the Chief Executive Officer of China Institute in America. His professional experience prior to China Institute included: Managing Director at Lone Star Funds, a global special situation private equity fund; Managing Director at AlixPartners, a global turnaround and restructuring consulting firm; Co-Founder and Managing Partner of RichWise Capital, a private equity fund focusing on investment opportunities exclusively in China; Member of the management committee and head of worldwide strategy for Alstom Power Group in Europe; Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm in its Greater China and Chicago offices. George received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and master of science degree in Materials Science from the Pennsylvania State University. He also has a bachelor of science degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Amb. Huang Ping assumed duties as Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in New York in November 2018. Previously, he served as Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2015 to 2018. His career includes Director-General of Consular Affairs Department in Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Consul General of China in Chicago, Deputy Director-General of Consular Affairs Department in MFA, Deputy Mayor of Shaoxing City in Zhejiang Province, Counselor in Chinese Embassy in Canada, and third secretary in Chinese Embassy in the United States.

Amb. Huang earned his B.A. degree in Science from East China Normal University, M.A. degree in Arts from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and MPA from Chinese Academy of Governance and Peking University.

Edward Mermelstein is New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs. As head of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, he leads the office’s mission to serve as the primary liaison between the City of New York and the diplomatic community, consular corp., and the United Nations.

Prior to joining the Adams Administration, Edward was the CEO and founder of One & Only Holdings and One & Only Realty, where he specialized in international corporate and real estate law, private equity investment and joint ventures, as well as real estate investment. Edward’s experience in navigating international markets led him to be named one of New York City’s 10 most influential figures in real estate. He aims to bring the same tenacity to the Commission for International Affairs, and to help Mayor Adams reestablish New York City as the capital of the world. 

In addition to a remarkable career in the private-sector, Edward has also been an integral member of the philanthropic community.

In 2016, Edward joined the Board of Overseers of NYU, where he established the Mermelstein Family Scholarship. He is also a Board Member of JDC, a leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, which works in 70 countries to lift lives and strengthen communities.

He also served as the USA Director of the Link of Times Foundation, where one of the projects he helped facilitate was organizing the return of the Danilov Bells to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2008 from Harvard University.

Edward sits as Chairman Emeritus of COJECO (Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations), where he gave guidance to help facilitate the integration of Russian-speaking Jews into the greater American Jewish community while preserving their cultural heritage.

From 2018 until 2021 he served as President of Zaka International Rescue and Recovery, a UN-recognized humanitarian volunteer organization that provides a rapid response to mass casualty disasters across the world. To date, ZAKA has saved thousands of lives—and honored those who couldn’t be saved with dignity in death.

Fluent in English and Russian, Edward emigrated to the U.S. in 1976 as a refugee from Ukraine. He holds a BA from NYU and a JD from Western Michigan Law School. Edward lives in NYC with his wife, Rose, a Broadway producer, and six-time Tony award winner, and his two sons.

Mr. Pin Ni is the President of Wanxiang America Corporation, a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Wanxiang Group Company based in Hangzhou, China. Mr. Ni also serves as the Executive Vice President for Wanxiang Group.

Mr. Ni received his Bachelor degree and MBA degree from Zhejiang University, after which he joined Wanxiang and has been with the company ever since. He has also studied in the PhD program at the University of Kentucky’s Department of Economics.

Tom Orlik is Bloomberg’s Chief Economist, based in Washington DC. Previously, Tom was the Chief Asia economist for Bloomberg and China economics correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, based in Beijing. Prior to a decade in China, he worked at the British Treasury, European Commission, and International Monetary Fund. He is the author of Understanding China’s Economic Indicators (FT Press) and China: The Bubble that Never Pops (OUP).

Mr. Reid is Director of Corporate Engagement at China Institute, responsible for leading corporate engagement activities. Before China Institute, he was Director of Foundation and Corporate Philanthropy for The Asia Foundation, leading strategic direction and management of institutional fundraising. He was also Executive Director for Corporate Programs and Talent Initiatives at the Asia Society, where he led corporate fundraising for global operations. Mr. Reid built Asia Society’s Global Talent and Diversity Initiative, a global resource and platform made up of intellectual capital on the latest trends and thought leadership impacting senior level Fortune 500 human capital leaders and envisioned and led the Diversity Leadership Forum, a training platform for emerging Asian American executives and the Asian Pacific American Corporate Survey. Mr. Reid serves on the leadership council for Pace University’s Alumni Association and chairs Pace’s Pride Alumni Network, which he brought into being in 2022. He also serves as a Trustee for the Metropolitan Tennis Group and coordinates bi-monthly beginner tennis clinics for LGBTQ aspiring tennis players. He received an MBA from Pace University and a BA from Colorado College.

Kendra Schaefer is a partner at Beijing-based strategic advisory consultancy Trivium China. She leads Trivium tech policy research team, keeping investors, companies, and governments briefed on Chinese tech regulation, AI and data policy, and government data and tech infrastructure projects. She is chief editor of Trivium's premium Tech Daily newsletter, a policy brief on government-driven Chinese tech developments.

Paul Triolo is an Associate Partner for China and Technology Policy Lead at Albright Stoneridge Group. He advises clients in technology, financial services, and other sectors as they navigate complex political and regulatory matters in China and around the world.

A recognized expert in global technology policy, Mr. Triolo was most recently founder, Practice Head, and Managing Director of the Geo-Technology practice at Eurasia Group.  Previously, Mr. Triolo spent more than 25 years in senior positions in the U.S. government, analyzing China's rise as a technology power and advising senior policymakers on a broad set of technology-related issues. At the beginning of his career, he worked as an engineer for a semiconductor testing firm in Silicon Valley.

He is also the Senior Advisor on Technology at the Paulson Institute. In this capacity he works with the Institute’s MacroPolo team on China technology issues, focused on AI and semiconductors.

Mr. Triolo is frequently quoted on technology policy issues in media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, the South China Morning Post, and others. He speaks regularly at conferences and has authored many journal articles and book chapters on global technology policy and China-related issues. He also serves as a Senior Advisor at the Paulson Institute and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He received an M.A. in International Relations from the Catholic University and a B.A. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University.

He is based in Washington, D.C.

Shau is a Partner and leader of Americas China Overseas Investment (COIN) at Ernst & Young LLP (EY). With over 26 years at EY, she's a standout leader. Shau's expertise lies in facilitating cross-border trade, handling transactions worth tens of billions, and advising C-suite clients on sustainable value creation. She's played a pivotal role in making EY a market leader for Chinese inbound investors in the Americas.

Remarkably, Shau, despite her non-accounting and non-English background (her second language was Russian), became one of the first Chinese talents to make partner at EY US. She remains the sole Chinese woman serving as a Global Client Service Partner there, attracting top talents to her team.

Shau is an advocate for US-China business dialogue and was recognized among the Top Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business in 2016. She supports various organizations, including the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA, the National Committee of US-China Relations, and the China Children Pediatric Foundation, where she serves as a board member. Shau also serves as Treasury at the China Institute and chairs the Chiao-Tung University Alumni Association in America.

She actively engages with student events like the Harvard China Forum, utilizing her vast network to mentor and empower young Chinese professionals and students in the US.

Shau holds MS degrees in Accountancy and Taxation from Bentley University and BS/MS degrees in Power Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai JiaoTong University. A Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts, she resides in Boston with her husband and three children.

Eric Zheng is President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. With nearly 3,000 members, AmCham Shanghai is the largest American Chamber of Commerce in Asia Pacific. Eric has been involved in AmCham Shanghai for many years in various elected roles including as Chairman of the Board of Governors.

Eric had a long career with AIG and held a number of executive positions in China that culminated in his service as President & CEO of AIG China. Prior to AIG, he worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce as Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou. Before moving back to China over 20 years ago, Eric worked for PwC in the U.S. as a management consultant.

Eric is active in not-for-profit and charity organizations. He serves on the board of the Committee of 100 (C100) and as its Greater China regional chair. C100 is a non-partisan leadership organization in the U.S. of over 100 prominent Chinese-Americans. He also serves on the board of Shanghai Make-A-Wish Charity Foundation. The Shanghai municipal government has honored Eric with its prestigious Magnolia Gold Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the city.

Eric graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai with a BA and holds an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.